Chapter 95 The Universe Comes to Qiang (IV) Words Become a Prison.

At around noon, Hu Ningning called Zhang Deng. When Zhang Deng received the call, he was lazing in bed, hesitating whether to continue working today.

Hu Ningning's voice was hoarse: "Idol, what are you doing?"

"Lie down," Zhang Deng said. "How about you?"

Hu Ningning: "Lie down."

Zhang Deng: "Come over and play?"

An hour later, the two of them lay in bed together, scrolling through their phones boredly.

Hu Ningning rolled over, hugged Xiao Mi, and yawned unceremoniously. She put her legs on Zhang Deng's waist and said, "Are you saying that Liu Yan and He Xiaoqiu have reconciled?"

Zhang Deng: "That might be what Liu Yan meant, but that's not what I meant."

Hu Ningning said, "Where did she find a boyfriend? She's been breaking up for a year and she's still trying to get back together, even giving her 100 million. This damn girl is so lucky."

"Hey," Zhang Deng glanced at him distractedly from his phone, "What is Tong Ying doing now?"

Hu Ningning said, "You are sick, how would I know?"

Zhang Deng: "Is he still working at Foxconn?"

"That's probably the case," Hu Ningning said. "He was still doing it when we broke up."

Zhang Deng asked, "Do you really understand this person?"

Hu Ningning waved her hand, signaling to end the topic: "I don't understand any men."

"That's true." Zhang Deng said.

Hu Ningning asked, "What are you doing? Are you going to help me make peace?"

"I'm sick," Zhang Deng said, "but not that sick. I wouldn't do something completely insane like that."

Hu Ningning rolled her eyes.

The two of them lying on the bed effectively banished Wei Yuanye. Wei Yuanye sat on the sofa and played with his phone. He couldn't hug his wife, nor could he join in the conversation, so he asked, "Can I go out and play for a while?"

Zhang Deng glared at him: "Where are you going?"

Wei Yuanye said: "Internet cafe."

"What's going on?" Hu Ningning asked, "How mature does a man have to be to not play games?"

Zhang Deng said, "Give up."

"When Tong Ying first met me, he was so handsome, like an elite," Hu Ningning said. "After knowing each other for half a month, I found out that he was playing Naruto while in the bathroom."

Zhang Deng: "You are very lively."

Hu Ningning asked, "Why is the man you're looking for also like this?"

Zhang Deng approved Wei Yuanye's request and said, "Come back before dinner."

Then, based on her experience, she told Hu Ningning, "It's not just me. The men He Xiaoqiu finds are like this too."

Hu Ningning: "No way, does Liu Yan also play games?"

"He's a lifelong lover of stupid games," Zhang Deng said casually while watching a video. "When he was in college, he even lost money investing in games. He Xiaoqiu and he even had a fight over his gaming habits."

Hu Ningning: "A part of my heart died."

"If it's your turn, it would be better if everyone died," said Zhang Deng.

Hu Ningning lay back down on the bed. She came to Zhang Deng's house with her hair disheveled, unwashed and hair uncombed. Now she looked like a ghost. While lying on the bed, she sighed, "It would be great if you didn't like men."

Zhang Deng: "I don't like men's words. I just like playing games."

Hu Ningning: “…”

However, Zhang Deng is indeed not very interested in visual and sensory stimulation. He has never understood why he should play games since he was a child. He finds them boring, whether they are level-breaking, survival, or small games that are purely for killing time.

Zhang Deng is a highly sensitive person. He does not need any additional stimulation. Just reading a paragraph of text is enough for him to get enough information.

Hu Ningning asked, "How's your novel going?"

"Can't you say something happy?" Zhang Deng couldn't stand it anymore.

Hu Ningning: "Is there anything worth being happy about in your life?"

Zhang Deng: "Go home."

Hu Ningning said, "I think what you write will definitely become popular."

Zhang Deng: "Thank you so much, I don't even dare to say that."

"I dare."

"Do you know why?" Hu Ningning asked.

Zhang Deng was too lazy to pay attention to her. Hu Ningning said, "Because I have money."

Zhang Deng: “…”

Hu Ningning said: "I will hype you up. Even if what you write is a pile of shit."

Zhang Deng didn't know what to say. After a long while, he finally said, "Why on earth would I write about poop?"

Hu Ningning laughed so hard that she fell over. Xiao Mi looked at her like she was a monster. Hu Ningning said, "You were the one who said your writing was not good."

Zhang Deng has become half-hearted about whether he will be famous or not. The reason why he has not completely let go is that he is really young, only 27 years old, and he himself cannot predict his future.

Hu Ningning's phone dinged, and she replied haphazardly. Zhang Deng asked, "Have you selected your favorite guest?"

Hu Ningning: "Uh huh."

Zhang Deng: "What the hell?"

"You shouldn't meet anyone too amazing when you're young," said Hu Ningning.

Zhang Deng: "I'd like to ask him out for a meeting. What do you think?"

Hu Ningning: "It's up to you."

Zhang Deng: "Is this true? Shouldn't you be very excited?"

Hu Ningning: "Because you won't date him."

However, Zhang Deng did plan to meet Tong Ying. He felt that if he wanted to solve Hu Ningning's problem, he had to have a clear talk with Tong Ying.

But I can’t tell Hu Ningning, that’s not a good idea.

Hu Ningning said: "And I think he should no longer be here."

"What's the meaning?"

"I heard he's being transferred."

"I heard?" Zhang Deng was incredulous. "You even investigated their company?"

Hu Ningning: "What do you mean by investigation? I don't like that word. I just found a few colleagues from his unit and asked them to help me keep an eye on it."

Zhang Deng: "Does this sound better than an investigation?"

Hu Ningning: "I haven't contacted them for a long time. Before I broke up, someone said that their company was looking for someone to be sent abroad, and said that he was very promising and that if he could come back in the future, he would definitely have a bright future. Then he broke up with me."

"Normally, an expatriate wouldn't leave so quickly," Hu Ningning said. "He just got rid of me very quickly."

Zhang Deng said: "What a scumbag, what a scumbag."

Hu Ningning: "Yes, yes, your husband will definitely not dump you because of work."

Zhang Deng: “…”

Hu Ningning: "In the final analysis, it's because I met the wrong person and had poor judgment. I am such a failure."

Zhang Deng: "Okay, Mai wants to talk again."

Hu Ningning stayed at Zhang Deng's house until dinner was over. When Wei Yuanye was clearing away the dishes, she asked to leave. She also packed up the leftovers and took them away. She also asked Zhang Deng, "I've met another little boy. Do you want to help me check it out?"

Zhang Deng agreed, and Hu Ningning said she would send him the time and address tomorrow.

Zhang Deng felt uneasy. After Hu Ningning left, Zhang Deng asked Wei Yuanye, "Do you think that person was really Hu Ningning?"

Wei Yuanye said, "If you're not sure, you can check it again."

Zhang Deng also planned so. The next day, she received a message from Hu Ningning, saying that she had made an appointment with him at the coffee shop where Dong Yu worked.

Hu Ningning was dressed very fashionably today, wearing a tight top that revealed her shoulders, white slim jeans, thick-soled sneakers, and her hair was permed. At first glance, she was undoubtedly a beauty.

She was surprised to see that only Zhang Deng came over by himself: "Why are you here alone?"

Zhang Deng said, "You didn't invite Wei Yuanye?"

"But..." Hu Ningning opened her mouth wide, thinking he was talking nonsense, "Didn't he assume that he was your pendant?"

Zhang Deng: "Who agreed?"

Hu Ningning: "Don't you two always show up together when I call you? When did you two start needing to meet up alone?"

"Then let's start today," Zhang Deng vaguely avoided the topic and looked at the little boy behind her. The boy was fair and clean. She felt a little embarrassed to see him and nodded and smiled embarrassedly.

Hu Ningning patted him on the back and said, "Get up and say hello."

The boy stood up and said, "Brother, my name is Huo Lian."

A thought flashed through Zhang Deng's mind: "A new character."

Then he immediately felt confused. What does this mean?

He felt that he might have gone a little too far in writing novels, as there were always these inexplicable voice-overs.

Zhang Deng said: "Hello, my name is Zhang Deng."

"You look so young, are you an adult?"

"He's an adult," Huo Lian said, "already twenty years old."

Dong Yu came over with the menu and asked, "What would you like to order?"

"What do you recommend?" Huo Lian asked.

Dong Yu said numbly, "I recommend the one across the street."

Zhang Deng said, "Stop joking."

"How much did the shop across the street pay you?" Huo Lian made a joke that he thought was humorous, but no one responded, and the atmosphere became a little awkward.

Zhang Deng said, "Give me a cup of fruit tea."

"I haven't eaten yet. Do you have any cake recommendations?" Zhang Deng was a little dazzled when looking at the menu. He didn't like shops that had too many styles to choose from on the menu; it made him feel like he had no idea where to start.

Dong Yu asked, "Who's treating?"

Zhang Deng pointed at Hu Ningning: "She."

Dong Yu flipped through the menu and pointed to the last row: "These are all fine."

Zhang Deng looked at the price and saw that a small cake cost 88.

Hu Ningning said: "Do I have a grudge against you?"

"Although I have money," Hu Ningning said, "I won't accept this kind of blackmail."

Dong Yu asked Zhang Deng, "Do you have anything to do tonight?"

"I have something to do today," Zhang Deng said. "You can come find me whenever you want to take a break. I've been a bit busy in the evenings lately."

Hu Ningning felt strange: "Have you found a job?"

Zhang Deng: "No, I plan to write at a fixed time after 5pm every night. This way I can have a better routine."

"Then I can't play with you tonight?"

"Yeah," Zhang Deng said, "Is there anything we can't play during the day? Let's play something healthy."

Hu Ningning: "How can you say such a thing?"

In fact, Zhang Deng just thought that she drank too much and Hu Ningning was just feeling guilty.

Zhang Deng has not forgotten the mission of his visit, but Huo Lian seems very introverted and hardly speaks. Zhang Deng thinks that he behaves quite well and is quite polite. He doesn't interrupt much and even listens when Hu Ningning speaks.

Zhang Deng discovered that Hu Ningning actually tended to look for some more educated men, whose overall personal qualities were above average, and each one looked more like a beast in human skin than the other.

Perhaps because of his bad impression of Tong Ying, Zhang Deng did not give Huo Lian a very high score.

He began to wonder if men of this type were more like beasts in human form.

Huo Lian asked Zhang Deng, "What do you do for a living?"

"Don't be so polite," Zhang Deng asked. "Although I'm indeed much older than you, I'm very young at heart. There's no need to use honorifics."

Huo Lian breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Okay."

He also looked quite nervous, and said, "I don't have a job at the moment, so I'm staying at home."

"Hanging out with rich men." Hu Ningning said.

Zhang Deng disagreed: "Is it okay?"

Wei Yuanye is not really a rich man.

Hu Ningning said: "I'm talking about me."

Zhang Deng: “…”

"I'm a wealthy man," Hu Ningning said. "I'm the sponsor of his novel."

Zhang Deng stretched out his hand: "Transfer the money first."

Hu Ningning asked: "How much do you want?"

She pretended to really give it to him: "Where to turn?"

Zhang Deng immediately waved his hand: "Just kidding, just kidding."

Huo Lian asked, "Are you a writer?"

"I told you before," Hu Ningning said unhappily, "my writer friend."

Huo Lian: "So..."

He looked at the shape of the lantern and searched for an adjective for a long time but couldn't find one. He said, "I didn't expect it to be you."

Ever since Zhang Deng shaved his head, the literary and artistic aura in him seemed to have diluted a lot, especially after several missions. Although his memory was gone, the inertia and experience left in his body. He used to deliberately want to make himself look more mature and steady, but he always seemed slow to act. Now he finally looks a little worldly-wise. His temperament is very mixed. He has lost the pure and introverted feeling before, and has gained some different style.

Zhang Deng himself does not have this awareness. He still has a very stereotyped impression of himself and thinks he is still a nerd.

"You are the first one who said that I don't look like an artistic man." Zhang Deng said.

Hu Ningning said, "You really don't look like that now. You look like a ragtag bunch. And an average one at that."

"So it's all because of the hair," Zhang Deng said. "That's the stereotype everyone has about words. In fact, words belong to everyone. Anyone can write. Literature has no barriers to entry; everyone can use this tool."

Huo Lian obviously didn't understand. He asked, "Is literature a tool?"

"Words," Zhang Deng realized he wasn't being precise enough, "are, more precisely, languages. Language is a tool for people to communicate with each other. When it comes to using language to communicate, poetry is no more advanced than oral communication, because languages ​​are equal and can be used by everyone."

Huo Lian: "How can they be the same? How can a beautiful poem be compared to a casual remark I made?"

"It's all just for communication," Zhang Deng said, "so it's all the same."

Huo Lian: "But his works will be passed down through the ages, but I can't even remember mine."

"This is something I've been thinking about recently," Zhang Deng said. "Even if a great work of art lasts for centuries, it only means that its communication has become of higher quality. As for the words themselves, their meaning remains unchanged. You can still use the words used in that book. Words are not mysterious. The words in that book are no different from the words you write."

"He combined words into a more valuable expression," Zhang Deng said, "but it was simply to tell the story of an event that everyone witnessed. You already had the will to express it in your heart, but it collapsed at the moment of expression. He narrated it, so all the words were in your heart."

Huo Lian: “…”

Dong Yu said, "It's very interesting."

He didn't know when he stood behind Zhang Deng. Zhang Deng was startled. Dong Yu brought the cake over and said, "What if I really don't understand what the book says?"

Zhang Deng: "Then think of it as a conversation with you, transcending time and space. So every book in the true sense is a time and space. Reading a book is like traveling through time and space. Perhaps a time and space machine really exists, and that is words."

Everyone: “…”